I know what you’re thinking, “Oh, here we go again, another crazy Catholic lady harping on why birth control is evil…” While I may be crazy and Catholic (the two are not mutually exclusive), I’m not here to write about the moral and theological evils of birth control. So, you can chillax, friend. Calm yourself…. [Read More]
3 Ways the “My Five Wives” Pilot is Like a Punch to the Heart
As I prepare to get married and live with a dude, there are many changes happening in my life. One of those changes is getting cable TV, since my darling fiance’s quality of life dramatically improves when he is able to watch the Cornhuskers year-round. I never considered myself a big TV person, but now… [Read More]
Lent: 40 Days and 40 Ways
Every year I try to approach Lent anew. I don’t want it to ever grow old. Lent holds a dear place in my heart, as it always reminds me of the days that brought me up to my joining the Catholic Church in 1994. Those emotional memories are strong, and they have always assisted my… [Read More]
You Thought Your Dinner Took Forever? (Review: “Thanksgiving”)
Holidays can be tough. At their core, they’re supposed to be a celebration of great joy. They involved people, though, and often families, and relationships among individuals always have the potential to get very, very messy. Now take that, multiply it by 350 years, add a turkey dinner, and you’ve got Thanksgiving, by Ellen Cooney…. [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: Change? No, thanks.
“Change is inevitable – except from a vending machine.” – Robert C. Gallagher I don’t mind change. Well, I don’t mind little changes. For example, I rearrange my bedroom to match my moods. I would change my hair color for the same reason, if I was allowed to have blue/purple/pink/green hair at work. I love… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: Cold Feet
Confession: I’m terrified of getting cold feet. This fear can be applied both literally and figuratively, since my base temperature is that of a small lizard, and I have so much anxiety, that were I to use my powers for good, I could probably generate enough energy to run a small city. So, yeah cold… [Read More]
“Most of You Are Probably Called To Marriage”
“Most of You Are Probably Called To Marriage”, said Mark Hart at DCYC 2013. Suddenly, a look of annoyance crossed his face. “Excuse me,” he said, “Some of you are called to marriage. SOME of you, but not all of you.” I remember, at the time, the fact that he went out of his way… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: Grief-Riddled Wedding Brain
I don’t even know how to describe the state I’m in right now. I want to cry and/or throw stuff and/or scream and/or burrow beneath my blankets and hide for awhile. I want people around me and/or I want to be alone. I want to plan my wedding and/or I never want to see another… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: I’m Not Marrying My Best Friend
Okay, so before you flip and lid and think, “Oh, no! How tragic! She’s settling for less than!”, just hear me out. I hear it over and over again: “I can’t wait to marry my best friend!” “Make sure you marry your best friend.” “He’s not just my husband, he’s my best friend!” Now I’m… [Read More]
What C.S. Lewis Taught Me About Grief
“Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape.” ― C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed Grief seems to me a confusing, unpredictable thing. You cry over someone’s death, then laugh about the memories you shared. You have moments of soaring hope, and longer moments of bone-weary depression. You… [Read More]
It’s Christmas Eve: Bust out the Cake & Candles!
Christmas Eve only means one thing: a baby is about to be born! The excitement is crackling in the air. Can’t you feel it? A birthday to celebrate. A new life to love! Many of my most favorite family traditions center around Christmas Eve. Yes, we attend Mass, have a delicious Christmas Eve dinner, open… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: Hello Rome, Goodbye Singlehood
So, as surreal this is to type, I just got back from Rome last Saturday (after 23 hours of travelling through space and time). I’m still reeling from the experience of the whole thing; Rome is a pretty overwhelming place. Everywhere you turn there is something ancient, beautiful and gigantic in your view, taking you… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: Anatomy of a Stupid Fight, The Finale
This is part two, the finale of “Anatomy of a Stupid Fight.” Part one can be seen here. Welcome back for part two, the last piece of the stupid fight. We left off with what appeared to be an easy truce between Danger and I, though there still was a hint that something was still… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: Anatomy of a Stupid Fight, Part One
Any couple that says they’ve never fought is either A. lying; B. a cyborg; or C. the more likely issue, doesn’t leave room for differing opinions or feelings in a relationship. I myself tend to fall in the last category, that is, until recently. Despite how miserable it can be, fighting, if resolved well, can… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: Wedding Fever
Confession: I have been dreaming about my wedding since I was in middle school. Every slumber party I can remember had talk about wedding dresses, church weddings versus beach weddings, and how possible it really was that one of us could marry someone from N’SYNC. I assumed I would get married around the age of… [Read More]
Local Catholic Halloween Event for Families Oct 26
This place is really into Halloween. It’s growing in popularity across our culture as a source for revenue for business, but also a cultural fascination with death, zombies, gore, and many other dark things. Catholics have a much different approach. I recommend a post from Catholic Lane titled Holiday Hysteria: A Christian Approach to Halloween…. [Read More]
On Homecomings
There’s something captivating about the season of Fall. And before you think it’s because of the cooler temperatures, pumpkin spiced lattes and a football season in full swing – it’s not. There’s this one aspect of fall is exciting every time I see it approaching on my calendar – Homecoming. The occasion is just as… [Read More]
Why we can’t stop listening.
Back when I was in high school, I became close friends with two girls. They were Baptist. They taught me that God really loved me, that I could talk to Him like I talked to my best friend, and that most music played on the radio was evil. In fact, one friend went so far… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: When Love Feels Conditional
Hello my dear blog-readers. This week’s blog is going to take a step away from the educational, and towards the personal. That’s right, my following blog posts are going to be dating blogs. Hooray! C’mon – you know you’re excited to read about my dating mishaps. I hope you can learn through my missteps, and… [Read More]
Relationships 101: The #1 Way the Internet is Messing Up Your Love Life
Part Four of “Relationships 101”. See part three here. We left off the last post with the number one way the Internet is messing up your love life. Remember what it was? It has become so pervasive that about 30,000 people use it EVERY SECOND (Daily Infographic, 2013). It’s a multi-billion dollar industry that has been around… [Read More]
Relationships 101: 3 Ways The Internet is Messing Up Your Love Life
Part three of “Relationship 101” Series. See part two here. According to research done by Kathryn Zickuhr and Aaron Smith of Pew Internet Research, a whopping 70% of Americans have internet, compared to ten years ago, when only 16% of Americans had home internet. Additionally, in 2013 56% of Americans have smart phones with Internet access, and 46%… [Read More]
6 Things You Need to Do Before Mass
Going to Mass is about more than just making it in the door for Communion. My day-to-day life has changed significantly in the last few months, so I have found myself approaching Mass attendance in a whole new way. It used to be part of work. My biggest concern was getting to attend a whole… [Read More]
Be Not Afraid: The Story of a Catechist Who Almost Quit
My first time teaching religious education was as a 22 year old, living at home with my parents after college, working in my first (miserable) full-time job and trying to plan a wedding remotely with no friends within a 45 mile radius. I was looking forward to a bright spot in my week of sharing… [Read More]
On the education of children
Often I wonder if my writing isn’t just redirected self-therapy. Journaling sent out into the digital cosmos. A way of expressing my emotions, reading them, and moving on. Sometimes I wonder, but today I am sure. Last week I completed the enrollment of all four of my children in our local public schools. I made… [Read More]
Relationships 101: Is Male Self-Confidence Attractive?
Part Two of the Relationship 101 Series. See Part One here. I was recently asked about self-confidence in men, and if it is attractive to women. I’m no expert, but below is my attempt to answer specifically the posed questions: In closing, healthy self-confidence is attractive to lots of women (that I know, anyway). But… [Read More]
NFP and the Holy Spirit
In October 1994 I was part of a nine day intensive training in Omaha, Nebraska given by the Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction, together with Creighton University. It was my “Phase I” to become an NFP Instructor. I was learning so much, even though my husband Blaze and I… [Read More]
on Tolstoy, summer and gold in the sand
Summer is half way over, and I’m just now getting into the groove. Staying up a little later, waking up later, too. Letting things go slack, allowing everyone a little more space, more time, more freedom. It’s like I’ve exhaled, finally, from the school-year before. And I realize how much stress I carry with me… [Read More]
Our Good Friend, St. Philomena
Once upon a time in Rome, during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian (in the third century), a young girl gave her life in witness to Christ under harrowing circumstances hard to imagine. She did this in spite of frightened parents, repeated and successively more cruel tortures, threats and even persuasive words and temptations… [Read More]
We’re All in This Together (Review: “Bound Together”)
If you’ve been following my reviews for a while, you’ll have noticed that I don’t always review Catholic books. This will be one of those other reviews. As Catholics, we are committed to ecumenism. If other Christians are reflecting on beliefs that we share, we should at least be willing to listen, even if we… [Read More]
advice for a young mother
The other night I went to a local eatery to meet up with some Catholic mommas. These ladies meet regularly at a local parish, to encourage each other in their motherhood and faith. We sat around the table at this elegant venue downtown. A raucous “Salsa Night” going on at the restaurant just next door…. [Read More]
5 Thoughts for Newlyweds
You can always tell when there’s been a wedding. At my parish, that’s when we get to look at pretty flowers. Because, at a university parish, we don’t spend the big bucks on flowers. We’re frugal, yo. So, we love it when wedding season comes around. There’s fragrant proof of white gowns, flower girls and… [Read More]
Chastity: Getting Real with Something No One Likes to Talk About
This blog starts with a definition, followed by a confession: Firstly, I want to define chastity. If you look up the definition of “chastity” in a dictionary, the first few definitions will say something like “abstaining for all sexual intercourse” or “see – chastity belt”. Not exactly the definition I’m going for here. If you… [Read More]
Mary’s “Lectio on Life”
In her Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), Mary says, “He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.” That line used to bother me. It sounds mean. I have often asked Our Lady what she meant by it exactly. I love the way she answered. Some years ago I had the blessing… [Read More]
Don’t Call Me Crazy: A Christian Response to the Stigma of Mental Illness
“That’s so crazy!” “You must be crazy…” ‘Crazy’ is a word we hear thrown around often in our culture. We even have multiple variations now, with ‘craziness’, ‘crazy sauce’ and ‘cray cray’ floating around online and in person. I myself am guilty of using this word flippantly to describe anything from intense stress to something… [Read More]
Supporting a Depressed Spouse: How to Help
Part Two of Series (View Part One here:) If you’ve never experienced depression, imagine trying to run a marathon while just getting over the flu. You’re achy, exhausted, unmotivated, feeling hopeless and wondering why-oh-why this is happening to you. The whole ordeal makes you so emotionally and physically wiped out, you just wanna cry, or… [Read More]
Immigration Reform is Important
Here in the Central Texas, we live off one of the busiest paths in the country that brings people and products to and from Mexico. Many of us have spent a considerable amount of effort planning how to be navigate through or around I-35 so that we can get to the places we need to… [Read More]
Little Did I Know
A friend of mine said the other day “wouldn’t it be helpful if we could put our kids in shirts that said ‘student human’ so that their misbehaviors could be seen as part of their learning process, and not the failure of their parent teachers?” If I could time travel, my first stop would be… [Read More]
Don’t Let Your Children’s First Communion Be Their Last
Sometimes words just hit your heart, right where it matters. This past weekend was officially “First Communion Weekend” at our house. It’s a date we’ve had circled on the calendar for months. There were lots of preparations—the clothes, the party afterward, the invitations, the family travel schedules and, of course, the Sacramental preparation. During the… [Read More]
from my side of the curtain: a memory.
I don’t remember much about having my babies. It’s a foggy time, really. I find myself periodically asking my husband to tell me the stories, like child who likes to hear the same favorite fairy tale over and over again. I guess it’s a ‘mommy fog’, made up of adrenaline, hormones, fatigue and pain medication… [Read More]
No really, I’VE GOT THIS: The Perfectionist’s Struggle of Letting Others Help
Before you begin this blog, please answer the following questions (to yourself, or out loud if you like that kind of attention): 1. Would you consider yourself a ‘perfectionist’? 2. Have you ever been accused of being an over-achiever? 3. Are you one of those people that says “I’m fine!” in response to everything? If… [Read More]
